Copyright in Canada exists upon the creation of a work in tangible format (written down or recorded on CD, Tape, Vinyl - mp3s are NOT protected)...so once you have a recording of your music, it is protected. This protection is worldwide.

There are several ways to register that copyright. You can go through the Canadian Intellectual Property office (CIPO) - www.cipo.ic.gc.ca - and register a title or a collection of songs. Option two is the Library of Congress - www.copyright.gov - in the USA. The S.A.C. provides the "Song Vault" a copyright protection service to members only. More detailed information about our copyright protection service is available by Clicking Here. 2. Do I need to register my songs?
It is advised that you protect your rights before any disputes arise, especially if you are submitting your music to outside parties (ie: myspace, facebook, song contests, songpluggers, etc). All co-writers must sign the Song Vault form in order for the registration to be valid.3. How much does it cost to register my songs?
All the details can be found by Clicking Here.4. Do I have to be a member to register my songs in the Song Vault?
Yes.

5. Do my songs remain protected if my membership lapses?
Yes. Once a song is registered, it is permanently registered. However, you will need to be a member in good standing in order to have these songs retrieved by the courts if they are required for proof of creation/submission.

7. Can I apply if I don't live in Canada?
We welcome international memberships and have many members who live abroad. A membership to the S.A.C. still incurs many benefits that can be enjoyed overseas, including connecting with other members, the Song Vault, song assessments and song pitching to name a few.

There are several ways to get your song out there. Featuring them on our site, pitching them through our song pitch service, gigging around town, creating a unique youtube video that can potentially go viral are all great opportunities for exposure. At the end of the day, how your song gets out there is determined by which avenues you choose. Working with radio promoters or contacting radio stations yourself is also a possible path, although making sure your material is ready and suitable for the target genre is also important. All of this takes time and hard work, not to mention maintaining resilience to rejection.

12. How do I find others to sing my songs?
You can look for singers through our members list, advertise in Craigslist or your regional arts newspaper (i.e. Now Magazine in Toronto), or frequent open mics to scope out suitable talent.

You can connect with other members based on the strengths they have listed via their facebook and/or myspace. You can also find great co-writing partners by going out to clubs / open mic nights and watch and listen. Your next co-writer may be the one who is performing at your local SongStage!

14. I want to sell my song? What do I do?
You actually cannot sell your song, because once you’ve written it, you have protected ownership. That said, you can assign a portion of your publishing rights to a publisher who will then work on your behalf to find placements.

There are several paths to getting placements for your song, you can use our own song pitching service (for members only). You can submit through Sonicbids (a paid service which incurs a cost with every pitch in addition to a membership fee), Broadjam, and Amercian Songspace. There are many other similar services out there, and the landscape is changing everyday, so we highly recommend searching out services yourself through google. Once you have accumulated a reasonable amount of street credibility, you are more likely to find a publisher who is willing to work with you.

You can print a copy of the membership from by Clicking Here and mail in with a cheque payable to the Songwriters Association of Canada. Or feel free to call our office and we can either email or mail to you with a cheque payable to the Songwriters Association of Canada.

The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) is a non-profit music licensing agency, which represents the vast majority of music copyright owners (usually called music publishers) doing business in Canada.

On their behalf, CMRRA issues licenses to users of the reproduction right in copyrighted music. These licenses authorize the reproduction of music in CD's and cassettes (usually called " mechanical licensing") and in films, television programs and other audio-visual productions ("synchronization licensing"). Licensees pay royalties pursuant to these licenses to CMRRA and, in turn, CMRRA distributes the proceeds to its publisher clients. The publisher in turn distributes the songwriter's portion of such revenues to the songwriter involved.

It is unusual for artists to pay to record your songs. Having one of your song(s) "cut" by an artist means that you potentially will have performance royalties coming your way as well as proceeds of any sales of their album. It is important that they identify the songwriters name(s) on the album to ensure that all the songwriters get proper credit and get paid for the use of their work. Once the product (CD) makes it to market and, IF it gets airplay, or is used in film, tv, documentaries, radio, digital downloads, you can make money from to performance royalties through SOCAN.